A’s manager speaks about Vegas news

Late on Wednesday, it was reported that the Oakland Athletics had signed an agreement to buy land in the Vegas area for a new stadium. The A’s had a day game on Wednesday, then were off on Thursday. So, we hadn’t heard anything from the current team.

That changed on Friday.

Ahead of Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers, manager Mark Kotsay was asked about the news. He mentioned that when he joined the A’s in 2004, he knew that the stadium was an issue. That became particularly relevant the following year when the current ownership group took power.

He then spoke about the fans and others who are impacted by the team’s likely move.

“I feel for the fans with this announcement. And, not just the fans, but the employees that have lives here. That have been in this organization for probably longer, most, than I have. Because one of the things about this organization is the continuity and the loyalty that they’ve shown to their employees.”

“That being said, my position, where I stand, is I’m the manager of this team. I don’t have control of those decisions. My focus is on getting this team better, improving, the maturation of these young players and winning as many games as possible.”

Kotsay handled that as well as could be expected. The fans in Oakland are of course the first people that are thought about when this happens. But the team employees, the ones who aren’t seen on television every night, also have a lot at stake in the move.

Unfortunately for him and the rest of the team (both players and coaches), questions are likely to continue about something that is playing well above their pay grades.